Royal comfort what?
by Stormshadow7
Summary: Robin is plagued by nightmares of Acre and what happened . As well as what could have happened. What happens when his exhaustion catches up to him and he collapses in Sherwood? And what's with the King? Will be Robin/ King Richard mostly.
1. Chapter 1

Silence echoed across the desert near the King of England's camp in Acre. Guardsman watched the distance warily for any sign of attack , while others slept unaware of the dangers in their tents. Yet in the Kings tent,Richard the Lionheart slept fitfully - for that night he was plagued by memories of the past. Suddenly, jerking awake wildly the war hardened man buried his head in his hands and started to sob ; unaware that his favorite Knight was fitfully sleeping as well. _ In Sherwood Forest, Robin of Locksley - also known as Robin Hood - Earl Of Huntington and member of the King's Private Guard fell out of bed as he awoke from the same nightmare. Unaware that Much was watching him, the outlaw shivered and stood fearfully. Glancing around quickly, he disappeared into the forest to be alone for awhile as he pondered the meaning of his dreams.

Once Robin was far enough from camp, but close enough he could call for help if needed- he against a cliff face to think. Unknown to him, the King was doing the same thing in Acre- yet Robin decided it had to be done, so breathing in slightly he relaxed just enough to go into a flashback. [Flashback]

^God Wills It!^ was shouted across the camp in Arabic, as a man on horseback cut down Knights near Robin's tent. Opening his eyes, the bodyguard grabbed his bow and quiver , while yelling at Much " The King ! The King is under attack! Much! Get the guards!"

Racing out of his tent, Robin dropped to one knee , knocked an arrow and loosed it into the man on horseback. Suddenly he felt a red hot pain in his side and looked up painfully to see another man riding away from him. Collapsing in agony, Robin heard " Master! Your hurt!" Shaking his head, the Knight snarled " Much - the guards! " ; then ran towards the King's tent.

Once there the Knight ran inside to see the man who had stabbed him, standing over the injured King Richard - sword in hand and ready to deal the killing blow. " Your Highness! " Robin yelled and swung his Saracen sword, blocking the deadly swing to the King's head. The man turned and charged at him instead , swinging his sword wildly as if in a blind rage.

Catching him off guard, Robin lashed out with a foot and kicked the man's knee; then sliced his forearm with his sword. Realizing he was beaten, the man shoved Robin aside - hitting his injury purposefully and ran out into the night.

Swearing, the King's guardsman pushed himself up and over to the King's side where he stayed until the rest of the Guards arrived ten minutes later. [End Flashback] Frustrated Robin buried his head in his hands and let darkness claim him, as his exhaustion from fighting the memories took over. _ Three hours later he still hadn't returned to camp, so the group of outlaws set off in hopes of finding their leader. About two hundred feet from camp though, Allan A Dale heard a groan and turned towards the underbrush.

There lying under a bush against a cliff was Robin and it looked like he was very unconscious. Crouching next to the older man, the other outlaw murmured " Robin?" to try and wake him up. The reaction though, was very unsettling as instead of waking slowly as a normal person would- Robin's fist flew and caught the younger squarely in the face.

Jerking back, Allan moaned and called " Robin! Wake up! John! Much! Help me here. " Almost immediately Much was beside him and crouched next to his ' Master'. Shaking his head the servant sighed and said " He's completely exshausted! We have to get him back inside."

Carefully the two outlaws lifted Robin into the hideout and onto his bed. " How long do you think he'll be out?" Will asked quietly. Glancing at the man, Much shook his head saying " It depends on how many nightmares or flashbacks he had before this. And what he did afterwards."

Nodding Djaq smiled at the worried outlaw and said " We understand, Much. You take care of him. We will take care of the villagers and Sheriff." Glancing back and forth between the merry men and Robin for a moment, Much finally sighed and nodded quietly. _ Three and a half weeks later there was still no change. It seemed Robin had gone into a coma or self induced sleep of some sort. Worried, Much chewed his lip thoughtfully as he glanced between the others and Robin.

Finally grabbing a quill, some ink and parchment he started writing a letter to the King in the holy land. When he was done he said " Djaq, I'm going out. Would you mind looking after Robin for awhile?"

Confused the woman nodded and he left, but not after he grabbed his cloak. Ten minutes later he was standing in Nottingham's post office watching as people paid for pigeons to deliver their mail.

Inching over to a cage, Much opened it quietly and pulled the bird out. Hiding it within his cloak he slipped out of the town and back into the forest, where he tied the letter to the birds ankle and said " To King Richard in the Holy Land." Glancing around again to make sure no one was around, Much released the bird into the air and watched it fly away. _ His Royal Highness, King Richard Platagenet the Lionheart sighed as he looked out over the desert. All of a sudden, one of his guards called out " Sire! There's a message for you!" Looking up quickly, the King of England caught the confused expression on the young guards face. ' But why?' The king thought, quickly; ' Unless its not a Lord writing to me?'

Walking over to the man with both the bird and letter, Richard nodded his thanks to the man; then took the parchment. Then turning around, the King made his way back into his tent to read the letter by himself.

Sitting down at the desk, he gently opened the seal and unfolded the letter. Then began to read: _Your Royal Highness, My name is Much, and I was Robin of Locksley's manservant. It is with much sorrow that I write to you with worry for my master, Robin. He has been experiencing nightmares from the Acre incident and will not speak of them ( I know very little). _

_Also, my master has almost completely stopped eating and hardly speaks to anyone ( If he does it is to command them). This latest incident with his nightmares has proven the most difficult, though. If his Majesty will bear with me, I can explain. About three weeks ago, he had another nightmare - as he usually does, yet this was different. He seemed almost violent when waking from it, as if struggling to get away from something or someone. _

_I know he went for a walk after that - he usually does- but we couldn't find him in the morning until eleven thirty. When we did , he seemed unresponsive and when Allan A Dale tried waking him , Robin lashed out at him. He has not woken since ,sire. Your humble servant, Much. _

Swearing colorfully, Richard grabbed a quill and parchment to compose a short note to the lad. When finished he picked up the pigeon again, tying the note to its leg and said " To Much in Sherwood Forest." Then he let the bird go and watched it make its way towards England. _ In England an outlaw slowly unravelled the note from the pigeons ankle a read the short note : _Send him to me, King Richard_ . Smiling he set off towards camp to prepare Robin for travel.


	2. Arrival, the kings reaction and waking?

A month and a half after the letter had arrived in the holy land, one of the King's Guards spotted a horse walking carefully towards the camp as if carrying precious cargo. Nodding to his partner, the Guard slowly walked up to the tired horse and grabbed the reins - only to jump back when he saw Robin of Locksley, Earl of Huntington laying across the saddle with a note loosely field in his hand.

Taking it carefully from the unconscious man, the guardsman read it aloud: Your majesty, my name is Cael and I am the escort for Robin of Locksley to your camp. It has come to my attention through a mutual friend of ours that The Lord of Locksley has not been himself,and that you may be able to help.

Therefore, I have sent his Lordship with my most trusted advisor and friend, Alexander of Northburgh. If the horse should arrive alone however, or with just Robin then I fear they may have been ambushed on their way to you. Please make sure both Robin and Shea ( the horse) are safe, as I love them both dearly. Your most loyal subject and friend , Caelin Earl of Newsburry.

Near the end, King Richard had walked in and gasped as he saw Robin's condition. Quickly taking command the King started ordering his servants and guards to bring things to a tent next to his. Then he snapped " And settle Robin in a cot as well please. He's looks so exshausted even I cannot believe it!"

Twenty minutes later a new tent was set up five feet from the King of England's and Robin was settled into the bed inside it. When this was finished, all the other guards went about the duties before bed. The King on the other hand had other plans, as he crept into Robin's temporary home and sat holding the Knight turned Outlaws hand.

Sighing slightly, Richard kept watch as the man he once considered more then a friend slept fitfully. Gently caressing the soft brown hair, he smiled sadly and stood to turn in for the night unaware of what it would bring.

Three hours later, everyone was sleeping relatively peacefully ( except the guards on duty) when all of a sudden a cry pierced the air. Jumping up, the guards looked around tensely as another scream ripped through the silence.

Now on high alert, they ran to the King's tent and opened the flap saying " Sire, there's a slight problem..Someone is screaming but there is no one attacking us!" Jerking fully awake, King Richard ran out the door and into Robin's tent snapping " Back to your posts!"

Once inside, Richard walked slowly to the bed and moved carefully behind Robin , rubbing his back in soothing circles as he did so. Clutching the younger man to his chest he murmured " Hush Robin, sshh. Your alright. There's no one attacking us, everything is fine. " Eventually the younger Knight relaxed and snuggled up into Richard's arms, leaving the King no choice but to stay.

Later on the King was watching Robin quietly as he contemplated what could have caused this phenomena to happen to the man. As there were few possibilities Richard had to put it down to psychological.

The problem was he needed to speak to Robin to find out what was bothering the younger, yet it was not possible. So instead of doing so, the King decided to move Robin into his tent to watch him more closely. Then he spoke to the guards about keeping an eye on the Knight when he woke. Finally after three hours of talking, and two hours of comforting Robin; the King went to bed with a heavy heart. Unknown to him, as his back was turned a pair of blue eyes hesitantly opened and glanced around the room.

The next day was a slow one, as the King checked on Robin then went to his meetings. Finally in the early afternoon, he arrived back at his tent to find Robin trying to lift himself out of bed. " Robin!" Richard said startled, and moved quickly to help the exhausted man sit up. " Sire. " the rightful Lord of Locksley greeted weakly with a short dip of his head in acknowledgment. " You should be asleep. Your exhausted! " the King was not bothering to hide his concern now .

"I'm fine sire." Robin stated adamantly, refusing to acknowledge that there was a problem. "Robin, you are not fine. According to Much's letter you have been asleep for Three months. Three weeks there, and five on the way here. Something is wrong, Robin. Please just let me help you. " By the end Richard was pleading with the man. Shaking his head, Robin turned away and didn't say another word.

Sighing softly, Richard walked out of his tent and around his camp. By the time he returned Robin was fast asleep in his cot. ' Oh, Robin. What am I going to do with you?' the King asked himself silently he headed to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning was even more difficult, as no matter how hard the King tried to get Robin to eat the Knight just wouldn't touch his food.

Finally Richard sighed and said" Alright, Robin.I can't stop you from not eating. But I can confine you to your bed for now. So for the next few days, you are to stay in either this tent or in your bed. Ok?" Scowling the archer/ knight nodded reluctantly and returned to staring at the wall Of the tent .

A few hours later Richard returned to his tent from meetings and planning only to have someone launch themselves at him sobbing uncontrollably. Realization dawning on him, the exhausted King sat down on his bed and rocked the emotional man. Ten minutes later he glanced down at the head buried in his shirt and asked " Robin? How are you feeling ?" Not recieving an answer from his love, Richard sighed and lay down on the bed before letting sleep claim him.

Halfway through the night Robin awoke shaking from fear. Glancing around quickly he swallowed as he realized he was in the King's tent. 'Oh no.. Oh gods no..' He thought as he started hyperventilating and backing up against a tent wall.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the King on the bed, and was unable to stop the flashbacks from coming. When they had finished he was cowering in a corner, hands over his head and very tense. The only thought that ran through his mind was 'I'm a cowered. I don't deserve a second chance. The King will hate me. '

Unknown to him Richard had gotten up and was making his way over to the distraught man slowly. Finally in front of Robin, the King gently placed a finger under his chin and said " Robin. Look at me. "

Shaking his head, the stubborn outlaw ignored the King until he had returned to bed. Then Robin crawled to the mattress on the floor in a corner and climbed into bed.

Morning came quickly after that but Robin only ate a few bites of his breakfast and did not speak . Sighing the King drew out a piece of parchment and wrote a letter to the outlaw Much in England.

Then sending it off with a pigeon, he walked out of the tent to plan raids. What surprised him though was that Robin did not run automatically out of the tent. Frowning in thought, the King shrugged it off for the moment and went to join his Private Guard in the main tent.

In England a week after King Richard had sent the letter, Much look up when a pigeon flew straight towards him. Holding out a hand, he caught the bird and said " Hello beautiful. A letter from the King?" Cooing the pigeon rubbed its head against his hand, then hopped into the cage they had kept for it.

Sitting back Much rolled open the parchment and carefully read the contents, frowning as he did so. It read: Much, I fear we will both loose a dear friend if something is not done.

Yet I am at a loss as to what to do. His nightmares persist, each growing worse and worse very day. He will not eat and he hardly sleeps ( if he does it is because he has become to emotional - lost control) .

When I grounded him because of health concerns, Robin never even batted an eye. We had a two minute argument which ended well. Then the next day he emotionally broke down and last night had a panic attack. This morning his restriction ended, but he wouldn't even go outside.

I am sorry Much, but I fear we may be losing him, King Richard. Now staring fearfully down at the paper, Much swallowed and swore that everything would get better. So grabbing a new piece of parchment he started writing to the King.


	4. Chapter 4

Three weeks after Much had sent his letter off to the king , Richard was opening the letter in Acre in his tent while Robin slept fitfully. Glancing sadly at the exiled Knight , Richard sighed and turned to read the letter.

Halfway through it the King frowned and re- read the beginning of the letter. It read: _Your Highness,_

_I am unsure of what the true cause of Robin's nightmares are but I know they contain the Assasination attempt on yourself. There are some nights when he is unaware that I am awake and mutters about "unworthy" , " betrayed the king" and " didn't protect him enough" , although I am not sure if it means anything. _

_Also, Robin may only eat after you do as that was his habit here after his nightmares ( he would only have a full meal the next day if someone else was eating). We believed during his stay in Sheriff Vaisey's dungeons , someone - perhaps a guard told him he was " unworthy of food" and " didn't deserve to eat" ._

_I hope this helps _

_Much, outlaw of Sherwood Forest and emissary of King Richard_

_PS. Your brother has decided to try and take over England in the most corrupt ways possible_

__Finished reading the letter, the King sighed and thought ' Well that makes more sense. ' as he sadly watched Robin sleep fitfully. Sighing again Richard walked out of the tent and motioned to two Templars .

" Sire?" the first, a Shawn of York asked quietly so as not to wake Robin. " I need you to assemble a team of trusted Templars who can go undercover and meet a Much of Sherwood Forest to try and seize control of my country again." Richard explained.

Nodding the two thought for a moment then Shawn turned to the second ( Malcom of Lancashire) and said " Alexander Carter, James Macdonald and ourselves."

Blinking in shock the king turned to Malcom and said " Do you accept this challenge?" Malcom looked the king straight on and said " Aye sir. To not do so sire would be treason. "

Richard nodded in acceptance then , waving them away called after them " Make sure you do not catch a ship to London. Do not be caught and do not wear your Armour unless absolutely nessasary." A dismissive wave was his only answer as a scream pierced the air and he ran back into the tent to tend to Robin.

Once inside the King crouched on the floor and inched towards the knight, only stopping when the man flinched violently away from him. " Robin" Richard whispered and waited for his friends eyes to clear. " Y- y- yo-your h-h-highness.." Came the stuttered answer as Robin cautiously glanced up , flinched and lowered his eyes submissively.

" Oh Robin." Richard sighed heartbroken to see his friend and love like this , when the man was usually so short tempered. Inching closer the King dared to wrap one arm around his friends shoulders, not even letting go when he tensed.

Deciding to be as straightforward as possible, Richard began speaking in French to calm the outlaw, * Hush Robin, Hush. It's alright. No one here will harm you. I am here and uninjured. It's alright, everything is alright.*

Finally after what seemed like an eternity to him, Robin relaxed and spoke shakily in French ~ Its alright? ... I didn't do anything wrong? ~ Frowning again, Richard shook his head and said * Yes it's alright, Robin. You stopped the Assasination and I am fine. Everything is alright. You did nothing wrong.*

Robin hearing this swallowed convulsively and buried his head into Richard's chest as tear slid down his face. Richard in response to this, gently stroked the Knights hair as he cried himself to sleep in Richard's lap.

Ten minutes later, after tucking the man in Richard was writing a letter to Much with an update on Robin. When he finally finished he tied it to the pigeon's leg and sent it off with a word of " Sherwood Forest."

Four weeks later in Sherwood , Much opened the letter and grinned to the surprise of his friends. " What is it? " Allan o Dale asked quietly , still subdued from Robin's departure.

" A letter from the king on Robin's condition. " Much told them as he quietly read the contents. It read :

_Emissary Much of Sherwood , _

_Thank you for the information regarding both Robin's nightmares and my brother's actions. I have sent a team of Knights templar to England to "clean up" after him and remind him who is King. However if this does not work, I hope to be back by next spring- hopefully with Robin in tow. _

_As for your dear leader , he is doing slightly better and I have discovered that the French language allows him to speak more freely then the English one does. Last night he had a minor panic attack but was quickly calmed down by being spoken to and even allowed me to give him a quick hug. _

_I have not tried to get him to eat anything yet but will try soon. So far it seems to be a trust issue and reassurance is the key- especially after his nightmares. I have yet to speak with him about the nightmares and their contents but will endeavor to do so within the next few days. _

_His Royal Highness_

_King Richard_

Happy that the King was taking care of things with Robin, Much decided to personally help the Templars get rid of the Prince. With this descision in mind, the outlaw left the camp and its bewildered occupants to find out what was going on in Nottingham.

Nottingham:

"Gisbourne!" Vaisey shrieked , yes shrieked at the black clad figure walking through the courtyard. " My lord?" Sir Guy of Gisbourne asked in confusion as he made his way up the stairs. " Why has there not been any information on the outlaws whereabouts? What are they up to? Hm?" Vaisey started bitching at the knight.

Ignoring the sheriff momentarily , Gisbourne raised an eyebrow and thought ' Why do I associate with him again? He's more paranoid then I am.' Refocusing on the conversation the man sighed sarcastically " The outlaws have vanished for a reason my lord."

"We'll that's all well and good but I still want information on Robin Hood! Find me some!" Vaisey snarled . Backing up slightly , Guy bowed and said " Yes M'lord." ; unaware that Much had seen the whole thing from his corner in the courtyard.


End file.
